Tiv Iahzhrim (The Beginning)
by pineappurus
Summary: Not much affects Lena Luthor anymore. But when Lois Lane walks through the double doors of her office carrying all of their loaded history with her (also the pair of Lena's panties that she'd been looking for) her whole life turns on its head. And what happens when Kara walks in on them? This is tiv iahzhrim; the beginning.
1. Chapter 1

It's not easy to catch a woman like Lena Luthor totally off-guard. Sure, she's had the rug pulled out from underneath her a couple of times in her life - most recently being the incident where she was kidnapped by a crazy alien queen and was forced to marry Mike of the Interns, or rather Mon-El, as his name was apparently.

But today is going to be one of the rare instances where Lena will be losing her shit.

Just completely off-the-rails and into crazy town shit.

And it all starts with Jess buzzing in as she is taking a sip of her already-cold coffee, announcing a visitor through the intercom.

"Ms. Luthor, Lois Lane is here to see you."

Lena spits the coffee out and back into her mug. She would be disgusted if not for the feeling of rising panic in her chest.

Her heartbeat comes to a complete stop. There is a ball lodged in her throat and she wonders if this is what a heart attack feels like. Or if she's being punished for breaking her 6 month streak of quitting cigarettes this morning.

Hands shaking, she buzzes Jess back.

"Let her in."

And she says the words only because she doesn't want Jess to have to deal with Lois Lane barging into her office anyway.

The double doors of her office fly open, dramatically. Both of it. And Lois Lane - perfect smoky-eye, pantsuit and Jimmy Choos - struts into her office with a presence more powerful than Superman's, and a smirk that would give anyone an orgasm on the spot.

Lois looked like she was giving Cate Blanchett a run for her money.

Lena grips her desk to the point of it creaking.

"Hey there, _Stud_." Lois licks the nickname on her lips, eyes roaming Lena's face and body, blatantly checking her out. The temperature of the room skyrockets. Lena squirms in her seat. "Well, don't you look delicious. Did you miss me?"

Somehow, Lena Luthor manages not to faint.

The elevator doors to the top floor of LCorp _ding_ and Kara Danvers steps off, wearing her signature smile, glasses, ponytail, and cardigan. She has three cups of coffee in one hand and two bags of doughnuts in the other.

"Good afternoon, Jess!" Kara sets the cup of coffee - Jess' usual, a cold brew - and a bag of doughnuts on the assistant's desk. "I'm here to see Lena!"

Jess tries to school her features into showing only 10% of the appreciation and gratitude that she feels for the blonde human puppy before her. As much as she doesn't want said human puppy to know how much Jess adores her and enjoys her visits to LCorp, she still has a strong protective streak when it comes to her boss and it's going to take much more than food bribery to win her trust. In no plane of reality is Jess ever going to hand her the keys to the kingdom, so to speak, when it comes to any and all matters relating to Lena Luthor.

The fact that her boss just handed Kara Danvers, a reporter, an all-access pass to her office? Jess had to take an advil for that migraine.

Although the reporter is really making it hard for Jess not to break off tiny bits of her trust and adoration and respect as a treat every time she visits. And every time Jess shows her anything beyond indifference - a hint of a smile, a little twinkle in her eye (the woman seems to have a canine's sense of smell with these things) - Kara accepts these tiny morsels with happy puppy dog eyes and a wagging tail.

Kara really just has super hearing and x-ray vision, so picking up on how much Jess appreciates the coffee and doughnuts was a piece of cake.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Danvers." There is the smallest quirk of Jess' lips and she looks up to acknowledge Kara with a curt nod.

Kara almost rolls over in glee; that was the first time the secretary actually looked her in the eye - she would usually just tilt her head in the slightest of nods towards Lena's door without looking away from her computer. Instead, she looks down to contain the grin on her face and shifts her feet before looking back up at Jess again.

"So, I'm going to head in now, okay?"

Jess is now typing away at her computer, pretending she's not there. It doesn't bother Kara in the least.

 _Oh, Jess. I am going to crack that stony exterior like an egg!_

Kara almost skips to Lena's office. She opens both doors because - _why not -_ she's having a good day!

But then she stops dead in her tracks and almost curses out loud in Kryptonian because of the scene that she barges in on.

(Kara Zor-El Danvers has never cursed in her whole lifetime, in any language.)

Instead she slutters, " _L-Lois?_ "

Lois Lane was bent over the desk, back turned to Kara, and face inches from Lena's - who was sitting dead still in her comfy big boss chair, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

Lois also had a matching shocked expression on her face, and a black and red g-string dangling from her forefinger, upturned palm in the air while the other is gripping the desk. It takes her a few beats before a grin erupts on her face and she quickly stuffs the underwear in her blazer pocket and runs to envelop Kara in a big warm hug.

Kara, for all her super speed, hasn't managed to recover from nor erase the scene from her memory, so she hugs Lois back awkwardly.

Lena just went from shocked to absolutely mortified.

"Lois!" Kara squeaks, patting the other woman's back. Lois pulls back from the hug but keeps her hands on Kara's shoulders.

"Oh my God, _Kiddo_ , it's been so long! I've missed you." Lois says it with genuine affection, as if they bumped into each other in a grocery store instead of Kara walking in on _something_ between her cousin's wife and her best friend.

Meanwhile, Lena stands up and makes a beeline for the scotch bottle and glasses she has on top of the table at the far end of her office. She placed it there strategically so she wouldn't be as tempted to reach inside her desk drawers drown herself in alcohol whenever she's stressed. Today was definitely a day that calls for a drink.

Or two.

"Hey, Ms. Pulitzer Prize Awardee!" Kara makes nervous finger gun pew-pew motions at Lois who rolls her eyes at the gesture.

"You're an ever bigger dork than your cousin, babe." Lois is smiling at her warmly and it feels like family. Kara feels a fluttering in her chest and laughs nervously, looking down and fidgeting with her glasses before looking up.

"Good thing you're both goddamn _hot_."

Lois winks with great exaggeration. Kara chokes on her own spit and coughs.

And Lena chokes on a big gulp of 50 year old scotch, making most of it spill on her $5000 Yves Saint Laurent dress and blazer ensemble.

Lois and Kara turn to her - Kara with a worried frown and a furrowed brow, and Lois with a quirked eyebrow.

 _Oh, shit._ Lois thinks. _Smooth and subtle was never your strongest suit, Stud._

Lena had since placed the now empty glass back on the table beside the bottle of scotch, thankful that it wasn't the bottle that she spilled, and is now wiping futilely at her clothes with a handkerchief. Her face spelled pissed in the 'this-was-a-favorite-outfit' and 'all-that-wasted-scotch' way, combined.

"Ha! Lena agrees." Lois points at Lena, looking smug, then pokes Kara's chest. "That you're hot."

Kara just smiles and laughs nervously, in that 'ha-ha-what-are-you-talking-about?' manner, red as a cute little tomato.

Lena meanwhile, aghast and embarrassed, looks as if her best friend in grade school just betrayed her trust and told her crush that she like them.

Seeing this triggers a lightbulb moment in Lois' head. And Lois Lane wouldn't be Lois Lane if she doesn't grab the opportunity to fuck with somebody, especially when it's presented to her on a silver platter.

So she grabs that mothrfucker and she squeezes every last bit of fuckery from it.

Lois wants to throw her head back and slap her knee in laughter. But instead she decides on rocking Lena's boat further.

"See, Kid? The stud here," she points a thumb at Lena's direction, "finds you so hot that she choked on and spilled expensive scotch over her even more expensive clothes!"

Lena opens and closes her mouth like a fish. She cannot believe Lois Lane came strutting into her office to tell her that she had stolen her underwear almost ten years ago as a souvenir (Lois' words) and then just told her best friend (who has no idea that she's bisexual and who she is also massively crushing on) that she finds her hot. Not to mention how many time Lois called her _"Stud"_ in front of Kara - she dreads the day that she's going to have to explain that one.

Lena Luthor came to work this morning expecting to deal with the regular bullshit of the business world, the science and technology world, and all the misogynistic assholes in it. She was not prepared to deal with the level of assholery, tomfoolery, and fuckery that calls itself Lois Lane.

Truth be told, in all of their history together, she was never really equipped to deal with Lois Lane.

Her brain feels like it's short-circuiting.

She is honestly feeling very attacked right now.

Kara laughs nervously again, louder this time, probably to break the tension. Or probably just because it went from awkward to 'holy-freaking-Rao' levels of awkward in half a second. She clears her throat.

"O-okay, Lois." Kara starts, facing Lois, then Lena. "Lena." She nods as a greeting. "This seems to be a bad time, so…." Kara inches herself backwards. "I'm sorry for interrupting." Then she bolts out of the office, almost going from human to super speed before calling out. "Bye!"

Lois tries to grab her but she is too fast. She curses under her breath.

"Damn, super speed!"

Kara leaves Lena's coffee and doughnuts on Jess' desk and hurries to the elevator.

The elevator ding could be heard inside Lena's office and Lois Lane bursts out in laughter, bent over with one hand gripping her stomach and the other holding her up and steadying her on one knee.

Lena glares at Lois with murderous rage.

"I am going to kill you, Lane."

Lois wipes a tear from the corner of her eye, face red, laughter dying down.

"Oh, boo-hoo, Stud." She winks at Lena, who gets even more pissed off at that. "You'll thank me later."

"Thank you?! I will fucking skin you alive!"

Lois just winks before turning around and exiting the office. She hears Lena's frustrated, "AAAARGGHH" be muffled as the doors close behind her.

She taps Jess on the shoulder. The secretary jumps but tries to hide her surprise.

"Hi. Lena accidentally spilled something on her clothes. She needs dry cleaning and something she can change into for the time being." Lois smiles and then winks. "Thanks, Jess."

She turns to head back into Lena's office, leaving a stunned Jess behind her and re-enters the office to find Lena sitting slouched in her chair and swirling a fresh glass of scotch in one hand. She smirks.

"Another glass? But you just finished a full one."

"Fuck you."

Lois laughs.

"Jesus, Stud, pissy much?"

Lena wishes so badly that she had heat vision. She wants nothing more than to fry the smug smirk off of Lois' face.

Lois raises her hand in surrender.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." The bitch exterior melts a little and Lois actually looks like she's genuinely sorry. "To prove it, I already asked for dry cleaning and a change of clothes from your secretary.

"I was just messing with you. It's my way of saying how much I missed you." Lois smiles sincerely.

Lena wants to smack Lois in the face repeatedly because A) she just canonballed into her whole day, and B) because _goddamn_ , she did miss this crazy woman.

Lena sighs, letting a touch of softness in her voice.

"I missed you, too, Red. A lot has happened since… Well, y'know…" Lena looks away.

"Since the last time we spoke?" Lois offers.

"Yeah. That." Lena gives a weak smile.

"Well," Lois waits for a beat then turns around to grab the bottle of scotch and pour herself her own glass. "Got time to play catch-up with an old _gal pal?_ "

Lois wags her eyebrows suggestively and that cracks Lena up. She sits on the couch, one leg tucked under her, and pats the empty space beside her.

The corners of Lena's mouth twitch up. She looks down into her glass, as if lost in thought. Then she smirks, gets up and heads over to the couch, tucking her leg underneath her and facing Lois, mirroring her position.

"Good thing the couch is leather - I can still sit on it even with scotch-stained clothes."


	2. Chapter 2

It was the summer of her last year for her first PhD. She'd dialed Lois and left a frantic voicemail when the woman didn't pick up.

Lena didn't have any friends in her life, with her being advanced in all her studies and being a Luthor - there was no time to make friends and there were too many risks involved.

So her " _friends_ " were mostly the children of her parents' business partners, but she never liked any of them, really. Maxwell Lord was especially an asshat who didn't understand the meaning of " _no_ ," and who believed he was God's gift to womankind.

Lex was pretty much in the same place - that's why they grew really close. Only a Luthor can really understand a Luthor, after all.

But that changed when Lex suddenly befriended Clark Kent, and by extension, Lois Lane.

At first Lena hated them both - not them as humans or individuals, per se, but she hated them because she thought they took so much of Lex's time and with that piled on top of his already crazy schedule, she was left with barely any time with him.

That is, until Lex invited her to Game Night and dinner with the two of them.

Lena instantly bonded with Clark. He was a nice guy, smart, polite, and funny with a Dad's sense of humor and a love for bad puns. He's a little clumsy and a little too shy, but those only added to his charm.

But Lois?

Lois Lane absolutely rocked Lena's world.

Lois was a strong 23 year old woman who was making a name for herself in the field of journalism and bulldozing anyone who dares stand in her way, then. She's pretty much still the same now, except with three Pulitzer Prizes under her belt and too many death threats hanging over her head. Lena was glad she married Clark, _Superman,_ or else Lois would probably dead or missing a limb or two.

15 year old Lena, fresh off her bachelor's degree, looked at her with stars in her eyes, then.

Lena was absolutely smitten and absolutely unaware of the fact.

Lois and Clark were dating and a subconscious part of Lena knew from the very beginning that Lois would never see her that way - she will always be Lex's sister first and foremost. And that's always been okay, even after she realized her attraction to Lois.

Lena never found herself bothered by it and was mostly just happy to be in Lois' orbit.

15 year old Lena never really dwelled on her sexuality back then. All her thoughts about Lois were brushed off as admiration.

Lois was her idol, was all.

When Lena figured out a few days after the third game night that Clark and Superman are one and the same, it only fueled her love for Lois Lane, because only she can stand and be in the same room with a god, yet still command all the eyes in the room.

Then at 19, as she was finishing her first PhD, she met Helena Bertinelli, an undergraduate who was attending Business School. Her classes were in the same building as Lena's graduate courses.

Helena was a strong woman who went for the things she wanted, fearlessly - much like Lois - so it was no surprise that Lena was immediately attracted to her.

Helena Bertinelli rocked her world, and Lena was left scrambling to hold onto whatever was left of it.

But because Lena hadn't quite come to terms with her sexuality yet, and had a complete breakdown when Helena first kissed her.

It was not a soft kiss. It was hard and passionate and left no room for Lena to wonder if it was simply friendly or not.

There was nothing friendly about it, if the moaning was anything to go by.

So Lena gave herself a migraine just thinking back and turning every stone in her head, trying to figure out when and why and how she could be gay. Then when she felt like she was drowning, she grabbed the last lifeline she could think of - she reached for her phone and dialed Lois Lane's number.

Lois didn't pick up, so she hid under the covers and tried to calm her breathing. Her breath kept coming in short ragged gasps and she started feeling light headed.

She doesn't remember falling asleep or doesn't know how many hours passed but she awoke to Lois pulling back the covers from her face and gently shaking her awake.

Lois had been so terrified when she heard the voicemail that she called Clark and asked him to fly her to Lena's dorm. Lois hated flying but that was a life and death situation and she was _terrified_.

She didn't know what to expect to find in Lena's dorm, but a sleeping Lena was the best possible thing, so Lois hugged her so fiercely until the panic and anxiety seeped out of every bit of her body.

The hug gave Lena a similar feeling.

When Lois asked her to spill everything that's going on, she spared no detail. At the end of it Lois hugged her again and told her that _it's going to be okay. It's always okay in the end._

Lena smiled at that, genuinely. When Lena remembers this moment in later years, tears always come to her eyes because only after the fact did she realize that this was the first time anyone's ever comforted her since her mother died and Lionel took her in.

Lois proposed something, then, to help Lena figure out her sexuality.

"Kiss me."

"W-what? No."

"Why not?"

"B-because! You're Lois!"

'Then pretend I'm not."

"What?"

"You don't want to?"

"I-"

"You don't have to if you don't want to. But I'm saying this is one way to know for sure, right now."

"B-but Clark?"

"Oh, honey, Clark doesn't care. You'll understand, eventually."

"Um."

But Lena summons all the courage and finally leans in, placing the softest kiss on Lois' lips.

"That good? You liked that?"

"Um. Yeah. I think so."

"Great."

"Um, Lois?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we do that again, but like, better this time?"

Lois laughed at that then nodded.

Ten minutes later, they were full on making out in Lena's dorm room.

That gave Lena the boost of courage she needed to ask Helena Bertinelli out the next day.

She and Helena dated for a year in secret, because Lilian would not approve of her dating women. Helena broke it off because she couldn't take hiding in the closet anymore.

Lena called Lois the night she got dumped.

Lois arrived again, via Clark, with a bottle of tequila and two glasses. Lena scrunched up her nose.

"Tequila, really? What are we, two white girls at a frat party?"

"Oh, shut up, Luthor. Not everyone can afford expensive ass scotch like your family."

So they drank themselves dead that night.

They drank themselves dead again when 2 months later, Lena finds out that Helena is already dating a guy named Michael and acting like Lena never even existed. Lois brought scotch this time - she'd asked Clark to drop by Luthor Corp and stole the bottle in Lex's desk drawer.

When Lois told her his, Lena roared in laughter. Lois joined her.

"Oh, Lex is going to be so mad you stole this."

"Yeah, what's he gonna do? Scratch his bald head?"

Then Lena started her 'fucking-around' phase, as Lois so eloquently calls it. Lena had also just turned 21. What would you expect from a broken-hearted 21 year old?

It was a different girl every week. There was that one time where she brought a different girl every day.

She was on break from her studies and had nothing better to do, so she went to bars and talked to women. When she got bored in Gotham and in Metropolis, she went to Starling City.

She met a hot blonde bartender named Sara. They fucked every night for a week. Lena stayed in Starling City for a week.

She was the girl Lena saw the longest.

And Lois was updated with every bit of juicy detail of Lena's sex life.

"Holy shit, you goddamn Stud!"

Lena started calling her Red then, just to give her a nickname in exchange. When Lois asked why Red, well…

"Because you're like a _bull_ attracted to _Superman's red cape?_ "

Lois fell to the floor of the Daily Planet, laughing.

Lena didn't say that it was because of the pack of cigarettes she always kept tucked in her bag, and how a whiff of Marlboro Reds always gave her a wave of nostalgia and brought her back to her dark dorm room, heavily making out with her favorite person. She didn't say how she picked up smoking just the other day because she missed Lois all of a sudden.

"Jesus, fuck, Stud. You suck at nicknames."

"Whatever, Asshat."

Lena interchanged Red and Asshat as Lois' nicknames, depending on the situation.

Then when her break was over, she went back to school for her second PhD where she met Jack Spheer. This was how Lena found out she was bisexual.

She and Lois lost touch around this time. Lena was 22.

It was also around this time when Lex started showing signs of psychosis.

Lena had been too preoccupied to notice all the symptoms. She and Jack fell madly in love and moved in after 6 months of dating. They worked on a project that they envisioned would save lives and change the future. They connected on a level Lena didn't know was possible to connect on.

Lena would have married Jack if only he had asked.

Instead, almost 3 years into their relationship, he asked her the wrong question.

"You have to choose. Luthor Corp or me?"

Lex had killed hundreds of people and had injured thousands more. It was only thanks to Superman - Clark - that he didn't wipe out the whole population of Metropolis.

The company was now hers to take over and salvage whatever was left. She was broken over the news of Lex's psychotic breakdown. There was nothing left tying her to Metropolis - Lois and Clark are also simply painful reminders of Lex.

So she packed her bags and left.

Before the family jet took off for National City, her phone rang.

It was Lois.

"Hey, Stud."

"Hey, Red."

"So everything sucks, huh?"

"Are you kidding? My whole life is shit."

"Yeah, I know."

"..."

"I know it sounds cheesy and it probably won't help, but it's going to be okay. It's always okay in the end."

"Yeah…"

"Okay…"

"That… When you say that it feels like everything really will be fine."

"It will be. Trust me.

"Okay. Thanks, Red."

"Anytime, Stud. Always here for you."

"I know."

"Okay. Call more often, okay? I miss you."

"I miss you, too."

"Have a safe flight. Bye."

"Bye."

Only then did Lena realize that she hadn't told anyone she's leaving except for Jack. She instinctively looks out of the plane's window.

And there, barely distinguishable in the distance, was a flying man in red and blue, holding a woman.

They waved at her and she waved back.

She doesn't call Lois again after that.


	3. Chapter 3

"So you stole my panties after we made out that one night?" Lena shakes her head, giggling. "What the fuck, Red? That was my favorite one! I looked all over for it!" Lena throws her arms up in frustration but careful not to spill the scotch she was drinking.

Lois nods, whole body shaking as she laughs silently.

"I wanted a souvenir!"

Suddenly, there's a buzz from the intercom and Jess' voice comes through.

"Ms. Luthor, the change of clothes from your apartment is here."

"Ugh. Finally." Lena rolls her shoulders and throws her head back, face red, and definitely inebriated. She had on a baggy white LCorp polo shirt with the matching baggy LCorp sweatpants that are 5 inches too long. The clothes were comfortable but they smelled like the storage closet (now whiskey-scented, too) and she'd feel better and less vulnerable if she were in a power outfit.

She felt like a ten year old in her older brother's clothes. The fact that Lois Lane was here drinking with her also pretty much negates her powers of self-preservation.

She doesn't bother standing up to buzz back because she knows Jess will come in with them, anyway. If Lena was a tiny bit more sober, she wouldn't have let anyone see her in such a state, especially the best assistant she's ever had for fear of losing her respect.

Lois doesn't look any better - face red from the scotch, $700 Jimmy Choo pumps discarded haphazardly on the floor.

Jess enters the room and scrunches her nose. It smelled like a sports bar, minus the sweaty testosterone-filled bodies. If she is even the tiny bit shocked to see her boss hammered while in LCorp clothing merchandise, she hides it well. She gives a small smile and nod to her boss' visitor of the day before turning to Lena and handing her the garment bag containing the new outfit.

"Ms. Luthor, the clothes that were requested."

Lena turns to her with a big drunk, lopsided grin.

Yep, if her boss were any bit sober, she would not be doing that with her face.

"Jess, have I ever told you how amazing you are?" Lena has stars in her eyes. Jess fails to fight off the blush on her cheeks.

"I- uh…" the assistant stammers, then clears her throat. "I'm just doing my job, Ms. Luthor."

"Well, you're fantastic at your job and I don't think there's anyone out there who's better." Lena tilts her head and winks, swirling the quarter-full glass of scotch in her hand.

Jess blushes harder. She's used to Lena praising her but there was something about _this_ Lena that made her feel… Well, _special_ , in a _really nice_ way that's almost _dangerous_.

"Um, y-you're welcome, Ms. Luthor."

"Jess, how do you manage being this level of perfect and looking this _good_?" Lena smirks.

"Whoa, there, Stud." Lois kicks Lena in the shin from across the couch.

"Ouch. What the fuck was that for, Red?" Lena is genuinely pissed.

"Reign it in a little, yeah?" Lois laughs. Lena makes a face at her. Lois decides to take action before her dear friend and respected business woman humiliates herself further. "Okay, no more scotch for you."

Jess realizes that what made her boss' compliments tonight _special_ was that they were made because Lena was _drunk-flirting_ with her.

Lois leans over to grab Lena's glass who holds it as far out of her reach as possible, all the while mouthing, _"no, no, no, no"_. If she were also even a tiny bit sober, she wouldn't need to struggle as much to grab the damn glass as she does now.

Jess doesn't know whether to be gobsmacked or laugh her ass off at the scene; the two women looked like they were two children fighting over the red building block in the sandbox.

"Mine."

"Just hand it the fuck over."

"No way, asshat."

"Fuck you."

"Do it."

"GIVE IT!"

"NO!"

Okay, maybe two children with the stinkiest potty mouths. Jess decides to take matters into her own hands.

She claps her hands twice, hard. Both heads snap to her - the action effective in getting their attention. She clears her throat and then, quick as a vixen, snatches both glasses out of their hands.

Lois and Lena stare at Jess, finding both their hands suddenly empty. Lena even opens and closes her fist to make sure - she grasps air.

"Ms. Luthor, Ms. Lane, if I may?" She smiles dangerously and both women gulp. "I think that's enough for both of you."

The two women sit back down and nod dumbly, very much like two scolded pre-schoolers.

Jess nods after a beat, seeing that the two won't be misbehaving anymore.

"Good. Now, I'll order you both dinner and cups of coffee." Jess turns to Lois. "Ms. Lane, I assume you take it black, also?"

"Uh…. Y-yes. I do."

Lois thinks she just fell in love.

Jess gives another curt nod before turning around and exiting the office to place the orders promptly. She orders dinner and coffee for herself, too. She'll be damned before she leaves these idiots up here in this building to fend for themselves alone - they might burn the whole thing down.

Lois turns to Lena as the door closes.

"Goddamn, Stud. She is perfect."

"Yeah. I know."

They both blow out a breath, the smell of whiskey hanging in the air.

"If she hadn't taken the booze from us, we'd be making out by now."

Lena snorts.

"Yep."

Thirty minutes later, Jess ushers in the delivery man with their dinner.

Lois Lane looks freshened up, still sans blazer, and Lena Luthor is already wearing her new outfit, a Prada top and pencil skirt.

They were both out in the balcony, their backs turned away. They both look around with eyebrows quirked and lips pressed into thin lines; zero trace of the drunken messes she saw earlier. Anyone who lays eyes on these two would quake in their socks.

Jess could actually see the delivery man sweat under his uniform. He then hurries to lay out the food and drinks on the coffee table in front of the sofa, immediately straightening back up and keeping his head down after.

Lena saunters back into her office, closely followed by Lois and nods to her, smiling appreciatively.

"Thank you, Jess. You're a lifesaver, as always."

Lena's voice sounds professional, as if the whole incident earlier never happened. Jess gives her usual curt nod and polite smile.

"It's my pleasure, Ms. Luthor. Enjoy your dinner."

"Did you order some for yourself?" Lena grabs the purse on top of her desk.

"I did." Jess answers

"Good. It's my treat." Lena hands over her credit card to the man, who swipes it then returns it to her. She then signs off on his device. He hurriedly exits the office.

"Thank you, Ms. Luthor."

Jess turns around to make her exit as well but Lena's hand on her shoulder stops her.

"Call me Lena." Lena drops her hand and twiddles her thumbs, chewing on her lower lip, tough business woman exterior gone and a nervous and shy air around her instead . "I think after tonight's… incident," a warm smile graces her features. "I consider you a friend."

Jess doesn't know how to respond to that, but a warmth spreads over her chest. She returns the smile to her boss with equal warmth.

"If it's not too presumptuous of me, Ms. Lu-"

"Lena."

Jess' smile grows wider.

"Lena." The name by itself feels unfamiliar on her lips. But she feels happy, anyway. "I consider you my friend, too."

Lois chuckles as Jess leaves the room.

"She's great. You'd be shit without her."

Lena plops herself ungracefully on the couch, groaning.

"Ugh, I know."

The takeout containers lay empty on the coffee table.

Lois and Lena were outside again, taking their time with their coffees, savoring each sip.

Lois pulls out a small cigarette case from her pocket. She pulls one stick out and puts it between her lips, then pulls her silver zippo from her pocket, flips it open, and lights her cigarette.

Lena watches the whole thing hypnotized. The smell of burnt tobacco leaves hit her nose and a bad nicotine craving snaps out of the haze

"Hey, can I bum one?"

Lois quirks one eyebrow.

"Since when do you smoke?"

Lena shrugs.

"Honestly? A little bit after I started sleeping around."

Lois hands her a cigarette and Lena gratefully accepts, putting it between her lips. Lois holds her zippo under the end of it, lighting it up for her.

Lena inhales the smoke and feels it burn her throat and lungs. She'd been an on-off smoker since then. She tucks the stick between her middle and forefinger, pulling it away from her lips, thin strands of smoke following it.

"To be even more honest, I picked it up because it reminded me of you."

Lois laughed.

"Yeah. Scotch became my go-to because it reminded me of you, also."

It's Lena's turn to laugh.

Then Lois turns serious, dropping her usual air of drunken sailor fun and confidence.

"Clark misses you, too, you know."

And then Lena turns away, smoking a few puffs with her back to Lois for a while. She didn't want Lois to see the hurt cross her face.

Clark was Lex's best friend. He reminded her of the Lex she lost. He had insisted that he be the one to apprehend Lex and escort him to prison, to make sure that no one uses more violence than necessary, that no one manhandles and physically hurts Lex even if he just committed one of the ugliest mass murders of the century.

Clark did everything right.

And it's also because of that that Lena can't bring herself to see Clark. Because he stands for all the good that Lex was going to be, once upon a time.

That's also why she left Metropolis - because he was everywhere, there.

Little did she know that she'd still be seeing the same crest and cape here in National City, but worn by a beautiful blonde, instead.

Lois smokes her own cigarette and leaves Lena to her thoughts for a while.

"I miss Clark, too, Red. But I had to get away from everything." Lena's voice breaks and Lois regrets bringing the topic of Clark up. Lena clears her throat and turns around. "He came here with Kara, that's how I met her… And I pretended not to know him. He pretended that he thought I was evil, too, like Lex. That sucked, Red."

"I know." Lois holds her gaze, sipping her coffee. "You know Clark did that not to hurt, you right? He thought that you would be more comfortable if he distanced himself and played the role of reporter."

Lena turns to look at the sky for a moment - just smoking.

"Yeah. I know that. And he was right, too. It was better to pretend. I was running away even when he stood there in front of me."

Then she laughs.

"I ran away from Superman only to find myself in a city with _Supergirl_ , instead."

Lois chuckles, too.

"Yep. Sounds just about your kind of luck, Stud."

"But you know what though?" Lena turns to face Lois, a genuine smile on her face.

"What?"

"She is definitely so much hotter than her cousin. I mean, by leagues, Red."

Lois bursts out laughing.

"Blondes are just your type, Stud. I like mine tall, dark, and handsome."

Lena's face twists in disgust.

"Ew. You know how much I hate hearing about how much you're attracted to Clark."

Lois laughs hard.

"I know, I know. You can't see past the fumbling and the oafishness." Lois doesn't say, _he's like a brother to you_ , and instead just smiles fondly. "But he is a good guy, Stud."

"I know that, Red. Best there is." Lena smiles, too. "If he wasn't, he wouldn't be able to handle you."

"True that."

Lois finishes her coffee and puts out her cigarette, before throwing it in the silver trash can on Lena's balcony.

Lena follows suit, putting the cigarette butt in her coffee cup and crushing it before throwing it in the trash.

They sit back down on the couch and stew in comfortable silence for a while.

It's Lois who breaks it.

"So… _Supergirl, huh?_ "

Lena snorts.

"Red, I know it's Kara. She and Clark walked in here together. Would I be so stupid as to not put two and two together?"

Lois chuckles.

"The glasses and stutter don't really make for a good disguise, don't they?"

"Nope."

Lois laughs.

"So tell me about that day she and Clark showed up here."

"Well…" Lena shakes her head, smiling. "She walked in here practically bouncing and smiling like the sun, Red. She looked like a goddamn labrador puppy."

Lena laughs, light and breezy. Lois smiles at the sound.

"I told her she should be a reporter. And she became one." Lena beams with pride. "She became one of the best reporters in this city, all the while saving this city, too. Every single time. With the same puppy smile… whether it was aliens or… or Lilian…"

"I'd heard about your mother, what she did…"

Lois places a hand on top of Lena's.

"Yeah… Did you know Lilian kidnapped her adoptive father, too, and tried to use him?"

Lois eyes widen. She didn't expect that. Lena recounts the story about how Cadmus used him along with how her mother manipulated her, and how, in the end, she fooled Lilian and foiled her plan.

"I knew about that last bit, how you saved the aliens of the city." Lois smiles. "Proud of you, Stud." She doesn't say how proud Clark was of her, too.

She'd kept tabs on Lena, checking headlines every day for her name. She knew about Jack Spheer's death, too, but wouldn't dare mention that.

"Supergirl saved the city." Lena shakes her head then looks down. She fidgets with the hem of her skirt. "She just inspired me to do the right thing.

"She's good, Red. Good like Clark, but also in a different way. She should have hated me for what my mother did to the man who took her in, but she didn't…"

"You're not your mother."

"Yes, but if Lilian had hurt Jonathan Kent?"

Lois silently agrees. She remembers Lex threatening to hurt Martha and how Clark almost ripped him apart, how she stopped him before he did something he would regret.

"I'm not saying Clark is any less good, Red-"

"I know, I understand what you mean." Lois cuts her off with a soft smile.

"I just… My mind can't even begin to comprehend the person that is Kara Danvers… Supergirl." Lena blows out a breath. "She's…. She's something else, Red. I can only aspire to be like her and do the good that she does."

Lena's voice grows quiet.

"A lot of times she reminds me of him, too, and it hurts to look at her." But then Lena smiles, memories of Kara flash through her mind. "Then she does something so undoubtedly Kara that I forget who we are and who we're related to… and I just bask in her sunshine for a while. She-she makes me forget how much darkness I have in my life.

"And then she believes in me, Red! She thinks I'm good! Can you believe it? She sees past my name. She trusts me. She fights, tooth and nail, anyone who tries to slander me." Lena laughs. "She writes so many good things about me as Kara Danvers, and I can't think of anything I've done my whole life that is good enough to deserve a friend like her.

"I can't even begin to tell you how many times she's saved me from myself, Red… She never failed to remind me of how good I am whenever I would doubt myself. I know Supergirl punches the bady guys, but Kara… Kara kicks all of my demons in the ass. Kara Danvers is my hero."

Lois smiles fondly at Lena for a bit. She doesn't know how the conversation turned this way but she's glad it did. She can see as clear as day how much Lena cared for Supergirl, for Kara.

People see Lena Luthor and think that this woman got everything handed to her on a silver platter, but Lois knew the orphaned girl, the confused teenager about her sexuality, and the loving and brokenhearted sister underneath. She doesn't try to clamp down on the pride that swells in her chest at how much this woman has grown and how lucky she feels to still be here with her.

Lena sighs wistfully.

"You know, Red, there aren't enough flowers in the world to express my gratitude towards her. I filled her office with flowers once and those still weren't enough."

Lois' jaw drops to the floor.

" _You filled her office with flowers?!_ "

"Yeah." Lena looks at her with an unspoken, _duh_. "It would be weird if I filled it with potstickers and people see her inhale all of it in one go."

Lois was flabbergasted. Then, she reaches for both of Lena's hands and holds them in her own.

"Lena." There is a softness is Lois' tone.

"Yeah?" Lena's eyes widen a fraction, both surprised and confused at the sudden use of her name.

"You like her, don't you?" Lois is staring into Lena's eyes.

"Who?" Lena tries to feign confusion and furrows her brow. The loud thudding in her chest betrays her. But Lois didn't need super hearing to know the truth. She smiles knowingly.

"Kara."

"Um." Lena shakes her head, a little to hard to be convincing. "No. What the fuck? We're friends. Stop being an ass."

Lois chuckles. That was too quick and too defensive.

"Um, Stud?" Lois boops Lena's nose and the action annoys her. "I may not have super powers but I can smell bullshit a mile away. You are in it so deep for this girl. Filling her office with flowers? Really? _How subtle of you_."

"I-," Lena opens her mouth to rebut the statement but freezes because no words come to mind. Lois looks so smug that Lena wants to sack her in he face. She opts to glare instead.

This cracks Lois up that she slaps her knee and leans to the side and sways, laughing hysterically.

"Shut up, Asshat." Lena punches her shoulder, hard enough to push her off the couch and onto the floor. Lois seems unfazed by the ground as her laughter doesn't stop.

"Oh my… Oh my _God_ …" Lois wheezes and clutches her chest. "Fuck… You're killing me!" And then another round of laughter as Lena rolls her eyes. "Flowers!"

"Shut up." Lena punches her again from her spot on the couch, this time without force.

Lois' laughter dies down and she just breathes in and out slowly for a moment.

"Okay, okay, Stud." She extends her hand to Lena. "Now stop being a shit and help me up."


	4. Chapter 4

Lois turns to hug Lena and squeezes her for a moment before letting her go. Lena savors the hug - she didn't realize how much she needed and missed these hugs until now. It's over too soon but it was late and she had to work tomorrow.

They're both in Lena's Tesla, parked in front of Lois' hotel. Lena offered to drop her off before she headed to her penthouse, and Lois gladly accepted.

"How long will you be staying here, again?" Lena asks.

"Just for two more days. Perry sent me on mandatory leave because he's probably sick of my face again."

Lena laughs. That sounds about right.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" There's a hopeful tone in Lena's vice that melts Lois' heart.

"Of course, Stud." She nods. "But I have some things to take care of first, in the morning. Maybe I'll drop by late in the evening?"

"Sure."

With that, Lois alights the car and she heads into the hotel lobby. As she hears the car speed off, she pulls her phone out of her blazer and presses 1 on her speed dial.

The other line picks up on the first ring.

"Hey, Lois."

The familiar voice makes her smile. He'll always be what home sounds like for her.

"Hey, Smallville."

"How is National City?"

"Great. And Lena is great, too, by the way."

"Really? I'm glad." The relief was genuine in Clark's voice.

"We drank a bit and talked."

"Did you make out again?"

"No. Bummer. Her assistant cut us off the scotch before we got to that point."

Clark laughs.

"Maybe next time."

"Hopefully, yeah." Lois laughs and Clark joins her. She speaks again after a beat, sounding more serious this time.

"She appreciated it, y'know, how you played reporter instead of big brother when you saw her last time."

"That's… that's good news." Lois could hear the tinge of sadness that he tries to conceal.

"She just needs more time, Smallville."

"I know. I just miss her."

"Believe it or not, she misses you, too. She just needs more time."

Clark sighs.

"I understand."

"And… I kind of do, too. Need more time, I mean. I'll be staying here for two more days."

Clark chuckles.

"Perry will want your head on a spike. He's already looking for you."

"Doesn't he ever get tired of my face? I know I get tired of his!"

Clark laughs, a loud and strong bellow.

"You know he feels better when he sees you. He's worried you'd ran off to follow some life-threatening lead again. You're like a stubborn, annoying daughter to him."

"Yeah, well, I can take care of myself."

There's an amused ' _mhmm_ ' at the end of the other line.

"And besides, I need to stay here so I can take care of my annoying, stubborn, non-blood related sister. And your cousin, too, apparently."

"Kara?"

"The one and only. Lena is absolutely head over heels in love with her, Smallville. You should see how hopeless she is. And... I think the feeling is mutual."

"Are you sure?" There is surprise in Clark's voice. "Should you really be sticking your nose in this one, Lois?"

"First off, how dare you, Smallville? The world is better because I stick my nose into things it shouldn't be stuck in." Clark laughs again. "Second, I know Lena like I know the back of my hand. And with Kara, well, have you read the articles she wrote about Lena?"

Clark grunts.

"You have a point there."

"See? I'm always right."

"That you are, my love." She hears the smile in Clark's voice. "I'll cover for you with Perry."

"You're the best, Smallville."

With that, they hang up and Lois' face breaks into a wide cheshire cat grin. Besides exposing crime organizations and bringing down tyrants, and playing pranks on people, playing matchmaker was her next favorite thing.

A super sense of smell isn't included on the list of powers Kryptonians get from exposure to a yellow sun, but Kara Danvers smells the potstickers from a hundred feet away.

So when Lois Lane steps off the CatCo elevator and onto Kara's floor, Kara was already wide-eyed and looking her way. She takes here steps before Kara runs up to her, barely holding off on the super speed and excitedly welcomes her with a warm hug.

"Are those potstickers?" Kara is pretty much bouncing on her feet. It reminds Lois of a Labrador puppy wagging its tail. She chuckles.

"Hello to you, too, Kiddo!" Kara looks sheepish, biting her lip. "And yes, and they are for you." She says, handing them to Kara.

"Oh Rao, they're my favorite!" Kara throws her arms around Lois again and squeezes her.

"I know." Lois returns the hug for a beat then pulls away. "Lena told me."

At the mention of the name, Kara blushes. Lois notices this and quirks an eyebrow, already plotting and scheming in her head.

It was then that Lois notices the people staring at them and whispering about her.

"Isn't that Lois Lane?"

"That's Lois Lane!"

Kara picks up on the looks and whispering, too. She laughs nervously.

"Uhh, wanna go to James' office for privacy?"

"James as in Jimmy?"

Kara nods. Lois thinks of all the ways she can vandalize Jimmy's office and all the pranks she can pull on him.

"Ooh! Let's go!"

She links arms with Kara and they both head to James' office.

Lois just finishes supergluing James' mug to his desk and tucking a note under his memo pad to the tune of Kara's giggles when he hears the door to the office open.

"Well, I'll be damned…"James announces his presence, looking like a boy who opened his present on Christmas Day.

Lois turns around in surprise and Kara grins, having heard him arriving from a mile away.

"Holy fucking shit, Jimmy!"

Lois springs up from the couch and tackles James. He doesn't even budge and catches her perfectly, giving her a satisfying hug-squeeze. They pull away from the hug and Lois squeezes James' triceps.

"You're fucking jacked!"

James laughs. He can't even begin to voice out how much he missed her. He nods a greeting towards Kara's way who waves back.

"I mean, I saw you fit and all the last time, y'know, the-"

"- dinner with Lucy and General Lane?"

Lois snorts.

"Yep. The one that went spectacularly… shitty."

James chuckles.

"Yes, well, it comes with dating a Lane, huh?"

"Eh." Lois tilts her head and shrugs.

"Speaking of which, I imagine Clark's dealing with the General better now that you guys are married? I'm still a little bitter about that, by the way."

Lois rubs his arm apologetically.

"Oh, I know. I'm sorry we got married in secret. It was the kind of "let's do it now before we change our minds later" kind of decision."

"You know that's just you, right? Clark is going to marry you under any and all circumstances, whatever plane on the multiverse he goes to."

Lois smiles a quiet smile.

"I know that. That was exactly the scariest part of marrying him."

"Right." James snorts and nods.

Kara just watches the exchange with a small happy smile - she's glad to watch them interact from the sidelines, these two people that she knows from different parts of her life but share a deep connection and a rich history with each other.

"Well," James clears his throat. "I've missed you so much, Lois, and I would love to catch up but I have a media empire to run." He smiles apologetically.

Lois punches him on the shoulder, lightly.

"What, are you too good for me now, Olsen?"

"Never in a million years, Ms. Lane." He smiles at her fondly. She taught him everything he knew after all. Clark was his brother and he loved him fiercely but Lois Lane was his mentor and he would never be the man he is today without her.

"Alright, Jimmy. Let's have lunch before I go back to Metropolis, okay?"

"Of course."

They go in for another hug. Lois pulls back, remembering to say something.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Can I borrow Kara today?"

James raises a curious eyebrow but doesn't ask. He looks over to Kara. Kara only hears about Lois spending the day with her just now and looks giddy over the thought of bonding with Lois.

"Alright. I'm sure Kara can manage whatever deadlines Snapper has for her."

Kara fails to stop the squeal coming out of her lips and claps like a baby seal in excitement. Lois laughs and shakes her head.

"Thanks, Olsen." She pats James on the shoulder.

"No problem, Ms. Lane." He winks at her then waves goodbye to Kara. "I'll be heading back to the staff room. I have a meeting with the editorial heads in five minutes." He turns to Lois and stares into her eyes. "Don't leave National City without saying goodbye."

"I won't." Lois smiles.

James exits the office and she turns to Kara.

"So…" She quirks an eyebrow. "What does Supergirl Kara Danvers do for fun on her days off?"

Kara beams, dramatically putting a hand over her chest.

"I thought you'd never ask."

James tries picking up his mug and struggles twice before finding Lois' note and scratching his head.


End file.
